Thin client systems combine the benefits of mainframe computing with the functionality provided by personal computers (PCs). Thin client systems are server-centric systems in which applications and data are centrally hosted on one or more servers. Thin client devices access the applications and data using a minimal amount of software and hardware. By keeping the applications and data centrally located on servers, thin client systems are capable of providing high levels of security and centralized management of the applications and data. However, conventional thin client systems generally involve significant amounts of administrative overhead to configure and maintain the thin client devices.
One approach for configuring thin client devices is for an administrator to configure each device individually. This approach allows the administrator to tailor the configuration to the specific needs and available resources of each thin client device. The administrator loads any necessary software and enters individual configuration settings for each thin client device in the system. Unfortunately, the flexibility afforded by this approach is offset by the administrative burden of configuring and tracking the configuration and software used in each thin client device. For enterprise systems using a large number of thin client devices, this burden can become overwhelming and cost prohibitive.
Recent developments in thin client systems have provided mechanisms for thin client devices to download configuration information and software from a server using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Distributing configuration information and software using FTP servers reduces the administrative overhead required to configure large numbers of thin client devices. But, the convenience of using FTP servers comes at the expense of the available flexibility in configuring each thin client device.
For example, the FTP servers must store either a single configuration file for use by all thin client devices or must store multiple configuration files with each configuration file being associated with one or more specific thin client devices in the system. Whenever the configuration of a particular thin client device needs to be changed, or a new thin client device is added to the system, an administrator must either modify an existing configuration file or create a new configuration file and associate that file with the particular thin client device. For large thin client systems, an administrator must decide between using a single configuration file for all thin client devices and maintaining a large number of configuration files and respective associations with the thin client devices in the system.
Accordingly, a need exists for a new system to configure thin client devices that is both centrally managed and flexible. The new system should be centrally managed to reduce administrative overhead needed to configure and maintain large thin client systems. The new system should also be flexible enough to provide configurations suited to each thin client device's individual resources and needs.